Jump to content

Roger Moore: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 13: Line 13:
| nationality = British
| nationality = British
| occupation = Actor
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1945–2013
| years_active = 1945–2014
| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]
| party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]
| spouse = Doorn van Steyn<br>(1946–53)<br>[[Dorothy Squires]]<br>(1953–68)<br>Luisa Mattioli<br>(1969–96)<br>Kristina Tholstrup<br>(2002–present)
| spouse = Doorn van Steyn<br>(1946–53)<br>[[Dorothy Squires]]<br>(1953–68)<br>Luisa Mattioli<br>(1969–96)<br>Kristina Tholstrup<br>(2002–present)

Revision as of 17:49, 7 December 2015

Sir Roger Moore
Moore at the signing of his book, "Last Man Standing", September 2014
Born
Roger George Moore

(1927-10-14) 14 October 1927 (age 97)
Stockwell, London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active1945–2014
Political partyConservative Party
Spouse(s)Doorn van Steyn
(1946–53)
Dorothy Squires
(1953–68)
Luisa Mattioli
(1969–96)
Kristina Tholstrup
(2002–present)
Websitewww.roger-moore.com

Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an retried English actor. Moore played the British secret agent James Bond in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985; he remains the oldest actor to have played the character. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Moore worked as a model and made several appearances in minor films and television dramas before finding more substantial roles in the television serials Ivanhoe (1958–1959), The Alaskans (1960–1961) and Maverick (1961). Moore's most significant television work came with his portrayal of Simon Templar in The Saint from 1962 to 1969 and his starring alongside Tony Curtis in the television drama The Persuaders! (1971).

Moore was cast as Bond in 1973 and portrayed him in Live and Let Die (1973); The Man with the Golden Gun (1974); The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); Moonraker (1979); For Your Eyes Only (1981); Octopussy (1983); and A View to a Kill (1985). Moore worked regularly throughout his Bond era, and has worked sporadically since. He is a Goodwill Ambassador for the charity organization UNICEF, and has demonstrated against the production of foie gras. Moore has been a tax exile from the United Kingdom since the 1970s. Moore has been married four times, including to the Welsh singer Dorothy Squires and the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, with whom he had three children. Moore published an autobiography in 2008, and has written other books of reminiscences of his career and filming Bond.

Early life

Roger Moore was born on 14 October 1927 in Stockwell, now part of the London Borough of Lambeth, in London. He is the only child of Lillian "Lily" (née Pope), a housewife, and George Alfred Moore, a policeman.[1] His mother was born in Calcutta, India, of English origin.[2] He attended Battersea Grammar School, but was evacuated to Holsworthy, Devon, during World War II. He was then educated at Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. He then attended the College of the Venerable Bede at the University of Durham, but did not graduate.[3]

At 18, shortly after the end of World War II, Moore was conscripted for national service. On 21 September 1946, he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps as a second lieutenant. He was given the service number 372394.[4] He eventually became a captain. Moore served commanding a small depot in West Germany. He later looked after entertainers for the armed forces passing through Hamburg.[5]

Immediately prior to his national service, he studied for two terms at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, during which his fees were paid by film director Brian Desmond Hurst, who also used Moore as an extra in his film Trottie True. At RADA, Moore was a classmate of his future Bond costar Lois Maxwell, the original Miss Moneypenny. Moore chose to leave RADA after six months in order to seek paid employment as an actor. His film idol was Stewart Granger. At the age of 17, Moore appeared as an extra in the film Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), meeting his idol on the set. Later Moore and Granger were both in The Wild Geese (1978), though they had no scenes together.

Career

Early work (1945–1959)

In the early 1950s, Moore worked as a model, appearing in print advertisements for knitwear (earning him the amusing nickname "The Big Knit"), and a wide range of other products such as toothpaste – an element that many critics have used as typifying his lightweight credentials as an actor. In his book, Last Man Standing: Tales From Tinseltown, Moore states in Ch 2 that his first television appearance was on 27 March 1949, in The Governess, by Patrick Hamilton, it was a live broadcast (as usual in that era) and he played the minor part of 'Bob Drew'.[6] Other actors included Clive Morton and Betty Ann Davies.

Although Moore signed a seven-year contract with MGM in 1954, the films which followed were not a success and, in his own words, "At MGM, RGM (Roger George Moore) was NBG [no bloody good]." He appeared in Interrupted Melody—billed third under Glenn Ford and Eleanor Parker—a biographical movie about an opera singer's recovery from polio. That same year, he played a supporting role in The King's Thief starring Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven and George Sanders, all of whom had larger roles than Moore.

In the 1956 film Diane, Moore was billed third again, this time under Lana Turner and Pedro Armendariz in a 16th-century period piece set in France with Moore playing Prince Henri, the future king. Moore was released from his MGM contract after only two years following the critical and commercial failure of Diane. After that, he spent a few years mainly doing one-shot parts in television series, including an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959 entitled "The Avon Emeralds." His starring role in The Miracle (1959), a version of the play Das Mirakel for Warner Bros. showcasing Carroll Baker as a nun, had been turned down by Dirk Bogarde. That same year, Moore was directed by Arthur Hiller in "The Angry Young Man," an episode of the television series The Third Man starring Michael Rennie as criminal mastermind Harry Lime, the role portrayed by Orson Welles in the movie version.

Television series (1958–1972)

Ivanhoe (1958–1959)

Eventually, Moore made his name in television. He was the eponymous hero, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in the 1958–59 series Ivanhoe, a loose adaptation of the 1819 romantic novel by Sir Walter Scott set in the 12th century during the era of Richard the Lionheart, delving into Ivanhoe's conflict with Prince John. Shot mainly in England at Elstree Studios and Buckinghamshire, some of the show was also filmed in California due to a partnership with Columbia Studios' Screen Gems. Aimed at younger audiences, the pilot was filmed in color, a reflection of its comparatively high budget for a British children's adventure series of the period, but subsequent episodes were shot in black and white.[7] Christopher Lee and John Schlesinger were among the show's guest stars and series regulars included Robert Brown (who in the 1980s would play M in several James Bond films) as the squire Gurth, Peter Gilmore as Waldo Ivanhoe, Andrew Keir as villainous Prince John, and Bruce Seton as noble King Richard. Moore suffered broken ribs and a battle-axe blow to his helmet while performing some of his own stunts filming a season of 39 half-hour episodes and later reminisced, 'I felt a complete Charlie riding around in all that armour and damned stupid plumed helmet. I felt like a medieval fireman.'[8]

The Alaskans (1959–1960)

Moore's next television series involved playing the lead as "Silky" Harris for the ABC/Warner Brothers 1959–60 western The Alaskans, with co-stars Dorothy Provine as "Rocky," Jeff York as "Reno," and Ray Danton as "Nifty." The show ran for a single season of 37 hour-long episodes on Sunday nights. Though set in Skagway, Alaska, with a focus on the Klondike Gold Rush c. 1896, the series was filmed in the hot studio lot at Warner Brothers in Hollywood with the cast costumed in fur coats and hats. Moore found the work highly taxing and his off-camera affair with Provine complicated matters even more. He subsequently appeared as the questionable character "14 Karat John" in the two-part episode "Right Off the Boat" of the ABC/WB crime drama The Roaring 20s, with Rex Reason, John Dehner, Gary Vinson, and again Dorothy Provine, appearing in a similar role but with a different character name.[9]

Maverick (1960–1961)

Moore as Maverick, 1960

In the wake of The Alaskans, Moore was cast as Beau Maverick, an English-accented cousin of frontier gamblers Bret Maverick (James Garner), Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) and Brent Maverick (Robert Colbert) in the much more successful ABC/WB western series Maverick. Sean Connery was flown over from England to test for the part but turned it down.[10] Moore appeared as the character in 14 episodes after Garner had left the series at the end of the previous season, actually wearing some of Garner's costumes; while filming The Alaskans, he had already recited much of Garner's dialogue since the Klondike series frequently recycled Maverick scripts, changing only the names and locales.[11] He had also filmed a Maverick episode with Garner two seasons earlier in which Moore played a different character in a retooling of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 1775 comedy of manners play entitled "The Rivals."

Moore's debut as Beau Maverick occurred in the first episode of the 1960–61 fourth season, "The Bundle From Britain," one of four episodes in which he shared screen time with cousin Bart (Jack Kelly). Robert Altman wrote and directed "Bolt from the Blue," an episode featuring Will Hutchins as a frontier lawyer similar to his character in the series Sugarfoot, and "Red Dog" found Beau mixed up with vicious bank robbers Lee Van Cleef and John Carradine. Kathleen Crowley was Moore's leading lady in two episodes ("Bullet For the Teacher" and "Kiz"), and others included Mala Powers, Roxane Berard, Fay Spain, Merry Anders, Andra Martin and Jeanne Cooper. Upon leaving the series, Moore cited a decline in script quality since the Garner era as the key factor in his decision to depart.

The Saint (1962–1969)

With Earl Green in The Saint

Worldwide fame arrived after Lew Grade cast Moore as Simon Templar in a new adaptation of The Saint, based on the novels by Leslie Charteris. Moore said in an interview in 1963, that he wanted to buy the rights to Leslie Charteris's character and the trademarks. He also joked that the role was supposed to have been meant for Sean Connery who was unavailable. The television series was made in the UK with an eye to the American market, and its success there (and in other countries) made Moore a household name. By spring 1967 he had achieved international stardom. The series also established his suave, quipping style which he carried forward to James Bond. Moore went on to direct several episodes of the later series, which moved into colour in 1967.

The Saint ran from 1962 for six seasons and 118 episodes, making it (in a tie with The Avengers) the longest-running series of its kind on British television. However, Moore grew increasingly tired of the role, and was keen to branch out. He made two films immediately after the series had ended: Crossplot, a lightweight 'spy caper' movie, and the more challenging The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970). Directed by Basil Dearden, it gave Moore the opportunity to demonstrate a wider versatility than the role of Simon Templar had allowed, although reviews at the time were lukewarm, and both did little business at the box office.

The Persuaders! (1971–1972)

Television lured Moore back to star alongside Tony Curtis in The Persuaders!. The show featured the adventures of two millionaire playboys across Europe. Moore was paid the then-unheard-of sum of £1 million for a single series, making him the highest paid television actor in the world. However, Lew Grade claimed in his autobiography Still Dancing, that Moore and Curtis "didn't hit it off all that well." Curtis refused to spend more time on set than was strictly necessary, while Moore was always willing to work overtime.

According to the DVD commentary, neither Roger Moore, an uncredited co-producer, nor Robert S. Baker, the credited producer, ever had a contract other than a handshake with Lew Grade. They produced the entire 24 episodes without a single written word guaranteeing that they would ever be paid.[12]

The series failed in America, where it had been pre-sold to ABC, but it was successful in Europe and Australia. In Germany, where the series was aired under the name Die Zwei ("The Two"), it became a hit through especially amusing dubbing which only barely used translations of the original dialogue. In Britain it was also popular, although on its premiere on the ITV network, it was beaten in the ratings by repeats of Monty Python's Flying Circus on BBC One. Channel 4 repeated both The Avengers and The Persuaders! in 1995. Since then, The Persuaders! has been issued on DVD, while in France, where the series (entitled Amicalement Vôtre) had always been popular, the DVD releases accompanied a monthly magazine of the same name.

James Bond era (1973–1985)

James Bond films

Moore in 1973

Because of his commitment to several television shows, in particular the long-lasting series The Saint, Roger Moore was unavailable for the James Bond franchise for a considerable time. His participation in The Saint was not only as actor, but also as a producer and director, and he also became involved in developing the series The Persuaders!. Although, in 1964, he made a guest appearance as James Bond in the comedy series Mainly Millicent,[13] Moore stated in his autobiography My Word Is My Bond (2008) that he had neither been approached to play the character in Dr. No, nor does he feel that he had ever been considered. It was only after Sean Connery had declared in 1966 that he would not play Bond any longer that Moore became aware that he might be a contender for the role. However, after George Lazenby was cast in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Connery played Bond again in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Moore did not consider the possibility until it seemed abundantly clear that Connery had in fact stepped down as Bond for good. At that point Moore was approached, and he accepted producer Albert Broccoli's offer in August 1972. In his autobiography Moore writes that he had to cut his hair and lose weight for the role. Although he resented having to make those changes, he was finally cast as James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973).

Moore played Bond in Live and Let Die (1973); The Man with the Golden Gun (1974); The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); Moonraker (1979); For Your Eyes Only (1981); Octopussy (1983); and A View to a Kill (1985).

Moore is the longest-serving James Bond actor, having spent 12 years in the role (from his debut in 1973, to his retirement from the role in 1985), having made seven official films in a row. Moore is the oldest actor to have played Bond – he was 45 in Live and Let Die (1973), and 58 when he announced his retirement on 3 December 1985.

Moore's Bond was very different from the version created by Ian Fleming. Screenwriters like George MacDonald Fraser provided scenarios in which Moore was cast as a seasoned, debonair playboy who would always have a trick or gadget in stock when he needed it. This was designed to serve the contemporary taste of the 1970s. Moore's version of Bond was also known for his sense of humour and witty one liners, but also a skilled detective with a cunning mind.

In 2004, Moore was voted 'Best Bond' in an Academy Awards poll, and he won with 62% of votes in another poll in 2008. In 1987 he hosted Happy Anniversary 007: 25 Years of James Bond.

Other films during Bond era

During Moore's Bond period he starred in 13 other movies, beginning with a thriller featuring Susannah York, entitled Gold (1974). He portrayed an adventurer in Africa opposite Lee Marvin in Shout at the Devil (1976), a commando with Richard Burton and Richard Harris in the unorthodox action film The Wild Geese (1978), a counter-terrorism expert opposite Anthony Perkins in the thriller North Sea Hijack (1979), and a millionaire so obsessed with Roger Moore that he had had plastic surgery to look like his hero in Cannonball Run (1981). He even made a cameo as Chief Inspector Clouseau, posing as a famous movie star, in Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) (for which he was credited as "Turk Thrust II"). However, most of these films were neither critically acclaimed nor commercially successful. Moore was widely criticised for making three movies in South Africa under the Apartheid regime during the 1970s (Gold, Shout at the Devil, and The Wild Geese).

Post-James Bond career (1985–present)

Roger Moore in 1979

Moore did not act onscreen for five years after he stopped playing Bond. In 1990 he appeared in several films and writer-director Michael Feeney Callan's television series My Riviera; he starred in the film Bed & Breakfast which was shot in 1989.[14] Moore had a large role in the 1996 film The Quest. While the Jean Claude Van Damme directed (and acted) film received mixed reviews, many commented on a terrific supporting role provided by Moore. At the age of 73, Moore played a flamboyant homosexual man in Boat Trip (2002).

The satirical British TV show Spitting Image once had a sketch in which their latex likeness of Moore, when asked to display emotions by an offscreen director, does nothing but raise an eyebrow. Moore himself has stated that he thought the sketch was funny, and took it in good humour. Indeed, he had always embraced the 'eyebrows' gag wholeheartedly, slyly claiming that he 'only had three expressions as Bond: right eyebrow raised, left eyebrow raised and eyebrows crossed when grabbed by Jaws'. Spitting Image continued the joke, featuring a Bond movie spoof, The Man with the Wooden Delivery, with Moore's puppet receiving orders from Margaret Thatcher to kill Mikhail Gorbachev. Other comedy shows at that time ridiculed Moore's acting, with Rory Bremner once claiming to have had a death threat from an irate fan of Moore's, following one such routine.[15]

Moore stated that he had retired from acting in an article for The Sunday Telegraph magazine on 17 May 2009. In a commercial for London's 2012 Olympic bid, Moore appeared alongside Samantha Bond, who played Miss Moneypenny in the Bond films during the Pierce Brosnan era.[16] He still appears regularly on chat shows, chiefly to promote the work of UNICEF.

In 2009, Moore appeared in an advert for the Post Office.

He also played the role of a secret agent in the Victoria Wood Christmas Special on BBC1 show over the festive period in 2009. Filming all his scenes in the London Eye, his mission was to eliminate another agent whose file photo looks just like Pierce Brosnan.

In 2010, Moore provided the voice of a talking cat called Lazenby in the film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, which contained several references to, and parodies of, Bond films.

In 2011, Moore co-starred in the film A Princess for Christmas with Katie McGrath and Sam Heughan. Filming locations included Romania, Peles Castle, Stirbei Castle and Bragadiru Palace.

In 2012, Moore took to the stage for a series of seven Evenings With in UK theatres and, in November, guest-hosted Have I Got News For You.

He was named one of GQ's 50 best dressed British men in 2015.[17]

In 2015, Moore backs children's fairytales app GivingTales in aid of Unicef together with Stephen Fry, Ewan McGregor, Dame Joan Collins, Joanna Lumley and Sir Michael Caine. [18]

Humanitarian work

Moore's friend Audrey Hepburn had impressed him with her work for UNICEF, and consequently he became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991. He was the voice of Father Christmas or 'Santa' in the 2004 UNICEF cartoon The Fly Who Loved Me.[19]

Moore was involved in the production of a video for PETA that protests against the production and wholesale of foie gras. Moore narrates the video.[20] His assistance in this situation, and being a strong spokesman against foie gras, has led to the department store Selfridges agreeing to remove foie gras from their shelves.[21]

Personal life

Doorn Van Steyn

In 1946, aged 19 Moore married a fellow RADA student; the actress and ice skater Doorn Van Steyn (born Lucy Woodard), who was six years his senior.[22] Moore and Van Steyn lived in Streatham with her family, but tensions over money, and her lack of belief in his acting ability affected their relationship.[23] Moore has since said that Van Steyn had repeatedly punched and scratched him and also threw a teapot at him on one occasion.[24]

Dorothy Squires

In 1952, Moore met the Welsh singer Dorothy Squires, who was 13 years his senior, and Van Steyn and Moore divorced the following year.[25] Squires and Moore were married in New York and moved to the United States in 1954 to develop their careers; but tensions developed in their marriage due to their age differences and Moore's infatuation with the actress Dorothy Provine, and they moved back to the United Kingdom in 1961.[25] Squires suffered a series of miscarriages during their marriage and Moore later said the outcome of their marriage might have been different if they had been able to have children.[25]

In their tempestuous relationship Squires smashed a guitar over his head, and after learning of his affair with the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, who became Moore's third wife, Moore said that "She threw a brick through my window. She reached through the glass and grabbed my shirt and she cut her arms doing it...The police came and they said, 'Madam, you're bleeding' and she said, 'It's my heart that's bleeding'"[22] Squires intercepted letters from Mattioli to Moore and planned to include them in her autobiography; but the couple won injunctions against the publication in 1977, which led Squires to unsuccessfully sue them for loss of earnings.[25] The numerous legal cases launched by Squires led her to be declared a vexatious litigant in 1988. Moore paid Squires's hospital bills after her cancer treatment in 1996, and upon her death in 2001.[26][27]

Luisa Mattioli

Roger Moore at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival with wife Luisa Mattioli

In 1961, while filming The Rape of the Sabine Women in Italy, Moore left Squires for the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli.[27] Squires refused to accept their separation, and sued Moore for loss of conjugal rights, but Moore refused the court's order to return to Squires in 28 days.[25][27] Squires also smashed windows at a house in France where Moore and Mattioli were living, and unsuccessfully sued the actor Kenneth More for libel, as More had introduced Moore and Mattioli at a charity event as "Mr Roger Moore and his wife".[27] Moore and Mattioli lived together until 1969, when Squires finally granted him a divorce, after they had been separated for seven years.[26] At Moore and Mattioli's marriage in April 1969 at the Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, a crowd of 600 people were outside, with women screaming his name.[28]

Moore had three children with Mattioli; a daughter, Deborah (born 1963) who has become an established actor, and two sons; Geoffrey and Christian.[29] Geoffrey is also an actor,[30] and appeared alongside his father in the 1976 film Sherlock Holmes in New York, in later life he co-founded Hush Restaurant in Mayfair, London, with Jamie Barber.[31] Moore's youngest son, Christian, is a film producer.[32]

Kristina "Kiki" Tholstrup

Moore and Mattioli separated in 1993 after Moore's affinity with a Swedish born Danish socialite, Kristina "Kiki" Tholstrup.[27] Moore later described his prostate cancer diagnosis in 1993 as "life-changing", which led him to reassess his life and marriage.[29] Mattioli and Tholstrup had long been friends; but Mattioli was scathing of her in the book she subsequently wrote about her relationship with Moore, Nothing Lasts Forever, describing how she felt betrayed by Tholstrup and discarded by Moore.[27][29] In her book Mattioli wrote that she felt Tholstrup had "wanted to become me" and also described her as "a hanger-on who has had two husbands and three facelifts".[27]

Moore remained silent on his divorce from Mattioli, later saying that he did not wish to hurt his children by "engaging in a war of words".[29] Moore's children refused to speak to him for a period after the divorce, but they were later reconciled with their father.[29] Mattioli refused to grant Moore a divorce until 2000, when a £10 million settlement was agreed.[33] Moore subsequently married Tholstrup in 2002.[29] Moore would later say that he loved Tholstrup as she was "organised", "serene", "loving" and "calm", saying that "I have a difficult life. I rely on Kristina totally. When we are traveling for my job she is the one who packs. Kristina takes care of all that."[29] Moore also said that his marriage to Tholstrop was "a tranquil relationship, there are no arguments."[34]

Political alignment

Moore is a lifelong supporter of the Conservative Party, and he publicly endorsed the party during the 2001 general election campaign.[35] In 2011, Moore gave his support to Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron on his policy on the European Union, stating: "I think he's doing absolutely wonderfully well, despite the opposition from many members of his own party. Traitors, I call them. I mean any hardliner within the Conservative Party who speaks out against their leader. You should support your leader."[36]

Tax exile

Moore became a tax exile from the United Kingdom in 1978, originally to Switzerland, and currently divides his year between his three homes; an apartment in Monte Carlo, Monaco, a chalet in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and a home in the south of France.[34][37] Moore is a resident of Monaco, having been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of Monaco by Prince Albert II for his efforts in internationally promoting and publicizing the principality.[38] Moore has been scathing of the Russian population in Monaco, saying that "I'm afraid we're overstuffed with Russians. All the restaurant menus are in Russian now.”[37]

Moore has been vocal in his defence of his tax status, saying that in the 1970s he had been urged by his "accountants, agents and lawyers" that moving abroad was essential due to the fact that "...you would never be able to save enough to ensure that you had any sort of livelihood if you didn't work" as a result of the punitive taxation rates imposed on unearned income.[22] Moore said in 2011 that his decision to live abroad was "...not about tax. That's a serious part of it. I come back to England often enough not to miss it, to see the changes, to find some of the changes good...I paid my taxes at the time that I was earning a decent income, so I've paid my due."[39]

Health

At the age of eight, Moore was circumcised, and in middle age developed shingles during the filming of The Spy Who Loved Me.[37] Moore was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2013, which has left him unable to drink martinis.[37]

Royal circles

Moore has a friendship with some of the Danish royals; Prince Joachim and his then-wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg invited him and his wife Kiki to attend the christening of their youngest son, Prince Felix.

On 24 May 2008 he and his wife attended the wedding of Prince Joachim and his French fiancée Marie Cavallier. He also had a long-standing friendship with Princess Lilian of Sweden, whom he first met on a visit to Stockholm for UNICEF. Moore's wife Kristina was already a friend of the princess through mutual friends. In his autobiography, Moore recalls meeting the princess for tea and dinners whenever he and his wife visited Stockholm. Moore held a recollection speech over the princess in the English Church at Stockholm during her memorial service on 8 September 2013. Through the princess, he also became acquainted with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.[6][40]

On 1 and 2 July 2011 he and his wife attended the wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock.[41]

Honours

Moore accepts carrot in 1959

In 1999, Moore was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE),[42] and advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) on 14 June 2003.[43] The citation on the knighthood was for Moore's charity work,[43] which has dominated his public life for more than a decade. Moore said that the citation "meant far more to me than if I had got it for acting... I was proud because I received it on behalf of UNICEF as a whole and for all it has achieved over the years".

On 11 October 2007, three days before he turned 80, Moore was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work on television and in film. Attending the ceremony were family, friends, and Richard Kiel, with whom he had acted in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. Moore's star was the 2,350th star installed, and is appropriately located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard.[44]

In 2008, the French government appointed Moore a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

On 21 November 2012, Moore was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Hertfordshire, for his outstanding contributions to the UK film and television industry for over 50 years, in particular film and television productions in the County of Hertfordshire.[45]

Awards

For his charity work

  • 2008: Dag Hammarskjöld Award (from the UN)
  • 2005: UNICEF Snowflake Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award
  • 2003: German Federal Cross of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz): for his work battling child traffickers as special representative to UNICEF
  • 2003: Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
  • 1999: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

Lifetime achievements awards

  • 2008: Commander of the French National Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre national des Arts et des Lettres)
  • 2007: Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • 2004: TELEKAMERA ("Tele Tydzień" Lifetime Achievement Award, Poland)
  • 2002: Monte Carlo TV Festival (Lifetime Achievement Award)
  • 2001: Lifetime achievement award (Filmfestival, Jamaica)
  • 1997: Palm Springs film festival, USA, Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 1995: TELE GATTO (Italian TV; Lifetime Achievement Award)
  • 1991: GOLDEN CAMERA (German TV; lifetime achievement award)
  • 1990: BAMBI (Lifetime Achievement Award from the German magazine BUNTE)

For his acting

  • 1981: OTTO (Most popular Film Star; from German Magazine BRAVO)
  • 1980: SATURN Award (Most Popular International Performer)
  • 1980: GOLDEN GLOBE: World Film Favorite-Male
  • 1973: BAMBI (shared with Tony Curtis for "The Persuaders", from the German magazine BUNTE)
  • 1973: BEST ACTOR IN TV, award from the French magazine TELE-7-JOURS, shared with Tony Curtis for "The Persuaders"
  • 1967: ONDAS-AWARD (Spanish TV for "The Saint")
  • 1967: OTTO (Most popular TV-star for "The Saint"; from German magazine BRAVO)

Publications

Moore wrote a book about the filming of Live and Let Die, based on his diaries. Roger Moore as James Bond: Roger Moore's Own Account of Filming Live and Let Die was published in London in 1973, by Pan Books. The book includes an acknowledgment to Sean Connery, with whom Moore has been friends for many years: "I would also like to thank Sean Connery – with whom it would not have been possible."

Moore's autobiography My Word is My Bond (ISBN 0061673889) was published by Collins in the US in November 2008. It was published in the UK by Michael O'Mara Books Ltd on 2 October 2008 (ISBN 9781843173182).[46]

On 16 October 2012, Bond On Bond was published to tie in with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films. The book, with many pictures, is based on Moore's own memories, thoughts, and anecdotes about all things 007.

Bibliography

  • Roger Moore as James Bond: Roger Moore's Own Account of Filming Live and Let Die (1973)
  • My Word is My Bond: The Autobiography (2008) ISBN 9781843173878
  • Bond on Bond: The Ultimate Book on 50 Years of Bond Movies (2012) ISBN 9781843178613
  • Last Man Standing (published as One Lucky Bastard in the United States) (2014) ISBN 9781782432074

Filmography

1973 portrait by Allan Warren
With Kathleen Crowley in Maverick (1961)
With Joanna Barnes in The Trials of O'Brien
Moore c. 1960
Year Title Role
1954 The Last Time I Saw Paris Paul
1955 Interrupted Melody Cyril Lawrence
The King's Thief Jack
1956 Diane Prince Henri (later King Henry II)
1958 Ivanhoe Ivanhoe
1959 The Miracle Capt. Michael Stuart
The Alaskans Silky Harris
Maverick Beau Maverick
1961 The Sins of Rachel Cade Paul Wilton
Gold of the Seven Saints Shaun Garrett
1962 Romulus and the Sabines Romulus
No Man's Land Enzo Prati
1962–
1969
The Saint Simon Templar
1968 The Fiction Makers Simon Templar
1969 Vendetta for the Saint
Crossplot Gary Fenn
1970 The Man Who Haunted Himself Harold Pelham
1971 The Persuaders! Lord Brett Sinclair
1973 Live and Let Die James Bond
1974 Gold Rod Slater
The Man with the Golden Gun James Bond
1975 That Lucky Touch Michael Scott
1976 Street People Ulysses
Shout at the Devil Sebastian Oldsmith
1977 Sherlock Holmes in New York Sherlock Holmes
The Spy Who Loved Me James Bond
1978 The Wild Geese Lieutenant Shaun Fynn
1979 Escape to Athena Major Otto Hecht
Moonraker James Bond
1980 North Sea Hijack Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes
The Sea Wolves Captain Gavin Stewart
Sunday Lovers Harry Lindon
1981 The Cannonball Run Seymour Goldfarb as Roger Moore
For Your Eyes Only James Bond
1983 Octopussy
Curse of the Pink Panther Chief Insp. Jacques Clouseau
1984 The Naked Face Dr. Judd Stevens
1985 A View to a Kill James Bond
1990 Fire, Ice and Dynamite Sir George Windsor
1990 Bullseye! Sir John Bevistock
1992 Bed & Breakfast Adam
1995 The Man Who Wouldn't Die Thomas Grace
1996 The Quest Lord Edgar Dobbs
1997 Spice World The Chief
2001 The Enemy Supt. Robert Ogilvie
2002 Boat Trip Lloyd Faversham
2011 A Princess for Christmas Edward, Duke of Castlebury
2013 The Saint Jasper

References

  1. ^ "Roger Moore Biography (1927–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  2. ^ http://www.genealogyreviews.co.uk/reviews/article/families-of-the-famous-james-bond/
  3. ^ "Link to durham student description of Hild Bede". 2 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  4. ^ "No. 37793". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 19 November 1946.
  5. ^ "Link to http://www.britishforcesbroadcasting.com". Combined Services Entertainment. Retrieved 16 June 2013. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  6. ^ a b Moore, Roger (2014). Last Man Standing: Tales From Tinseltown. London: Michael O'Mara Books Limited. ISBN 978-1-78243-207-4.
  7. ^ Ivanhoe at Ivanhoe at Screen Online
  8. ^ Ivanhoe at Television Heaven
  9. ^ ""Right off the Boat", Part 2, The Roaring 20s, May 20, 1961". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  10. ^ p.111 Callan, Michael Feeney Sean Connery 2002 Virgin Publishing
  11. ^ Moore answer to a June 2007 question on his official website
  12. ^ "Roger Moore and Robert S. Baker ever had a contract other than a handshake with Lew Grade". imdb.com. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  13. ^ Rozen, Leah (19 October 2012). "50 Years of James Bond: Roger Moore, Seven Times 007". www.bbcamerica.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015. [Moore] played James Bond in 1964 on TV opposite British actress Millicent Martin in a guest appearance on her BBC comedy show, Mainly Millicent.
  14. ^ Champlin, Charles (17 September 1989). "Roger Moore and Talia Shire Take Sequel Break". latimes.com.
  15. ^ Bremner, Rory Beware of Imitations (1999)
  16. ^ http://www.sirrogermoore.net/london2012.htm
  17. ^ "50 Best Dressed Men in Britain 2015". GQ. 5 January 2015.
  18. ^ "Roger Moore backs children's fairytales app in aid of Unicef". The Guardian. 18 June 2015.
  19. ^ "The Fly Who Loved Me (directed by Dan Chambers)". Unicef.org.uk. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation". Peta.org.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  21. ^ "Roger Moore helps Selfridges to Drop Foie Gras". Peta.org.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  22. ^ a b c McGrath, Nick (30 September 2012). "Roger Moore: 'I love cash. The sheer luxury of crispy £1 notes'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  23. ^ Roger Moore (10 October 2009). My Word is My Bond: The Autobiography. Michael OMara. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-1-84317-419-6.
  24. ^ "Sir Roger Moore: James Bond actor 'beaten up by first two wives'". The Daily Telegraph. London. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  25. ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Dorothy Squires", The Times, London, 15 April 1998, pg. 21
  26. ^ a b "Moore pays for Squires operation." The Times, London, 31 May 1996, pg. 6
  27. ^ a b c d e f g Davies, Hugh (10 October 2000). "Roger Moore pays wife £10m in divorce deal". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  28. ^ "News in Brief." The Times, London, 12 April 1969, pg. 3
  29. ^ a b c d e f g Cavendish, Lucy (17 November 2003). "Roger Moore Saint or Sinner?". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  30. ^ IMDb – Geoffrey Moore
  31. ^ Anstead, Mark (10 August 2002). "Yes, the name's bonds". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  32. ^ IMDb – Christian Moore
  33. ^ James Bone. "Roger Moore's £10m divorce." The Times, London, 10 October 2000
  34. ^ a b Lee, Veronica (26 October 2003). "Roger Moore interview: 'If I had 24 hours to live, I'd make a dry martini'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  35. ^ Roger Moore. Biography IMDb
  36. ^ "Sir Roger Moore: 'I've paid my dues in taxes'".
  37. ^ a b c d Julia Llewelyn Smith (30 April 2014). "Sir Roger Moore: 'I can't drink martinis any more – but life is bliss'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  38. ^ "Monaco Ambassador's Club – News". Monaco Ambassadors Club. Prince's Palace of Monaco. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  39. ^ "Sir Roger Moore defends decision to live in Monaco and Switzerland". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  40. ^ http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/diplomaticdispatch/2013/09/09/six-royals-and-007-memorial-service-for-princess-lilian
  41. ^ Barchfield, Jenny (30 June 2011). "Monaco palace releases wedding guest list". Forbes. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  42. ^ "No. 55354". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1998.
  43. ^ a b "No. 56963". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2003.
  44. ^ "Roger Moore Official Site". Roger-moore.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ "University of Hertfordshire News". University of Hertfordshire. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  46. ^ "Roger Moore's official website". Roger-moore.com. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.

Books

  • Moore, Sir Roger (2012). Bond on Bond: Reflections on 50 years of James Bond Movies. Lyons Press. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-7627-8281-9.
Acting roles
Preceded by Ivanhoe Actor
1959
Succeeded by
Preceded by The Saint Actor
1962–1969
Succeeded by
Preceded by Sherlock Holmes Actor
1976
Succeeded by
Preceded by Eon Productions James Bond actor
1973–1985
Succeeded by
Timothy Dalton
1987 – 1989
Preceded by Jacques Clouseau Actor
1983
Succeeded by
Bond records
Preceded by
David Niven
(57 at Casino Royale release)
Oldest Bond actor
26 October 1984 – present
Incumbent
Preceded by Oldest living Bond actor
7 April 2007 – present

Template:International Emmy hosts